A one-time royal residence, the Royal Charterhouse of Valldemossa was inhabited by Carthusian monks from the early 15th century. The original monastery was replaced by a larger one, with each 'cell' comprising 3 adjacent rooms and a balcony garden. A Carthusian monastery is, paradoxically, best described as a community of hermits as each monk spends their day in 'solitary confinement' .

The museum comprises
1) the neo-classical styled Church (built in the latter part of the 18th century, and including decoration by Goya's brother-in-law )
2) the carthusian pharmacy (containing the earthenware jars, Catalan ceramic ware, Mallorcan glass bottles, scales, mortars and pill boxes appropriate to an 18th century dispensary) which continued to serve as the village chemist in the latter part of the 19th century
3) the Prior's cell and library, where the monks met for their weekly meeting (the only time they broke their vow of silence) and which features books, manuscripts, and ancient triptychs, and
4) Chopin and Sand's cells

In 1835 the monks were expelled and the monastery fell into private hands, with some rooms being let by their owners. Consequently, on 28 December 1838, the composer Frederick Chopin, his lover George Sand and her two children (Solange and Maurice) rented rooms, which were formerly monks' cells. The couple's illicit affair had been the subject of Parisian gossip so they decided to take refuge in Mallorca. Chopin, suffering from tuberculosis, thought the climate would help his recovery. Unfortunately, arriving in winter, the weather was wet and cold - far from the sun and warmth they had sought - and Palma society shunned them. Chopin's health declined and the couple argued. Sand took out her frustrations by writing the critical novel A Winter in Majorca (handwritten manuscripts of which are on display, and copies of the book are on sale in the museum). There are also examples of Chopin's scores, a copy of his death mask and a lock of his hair, as well as the piano he borrowed in the absence of his own instrument.